Ron Radziner on Earth Food, Travels With Family + More

Ron Radziner was aware of architecture early on, but one particular Frank Lloyd Wright building in his home state of California piqued his interest. The Hollyhock House was Wright’s first Los Angeles commission, completed in 1921 for his client, heiress Aline Barnsdall. Barnsdall eventually donated the house and surrounding land, which is still a public site today. “I remember being fascinated by the house on the hill when I would visit the park with my family when I was a child,” says Radziner.

Barnsdall’s request for a residence that was essentially half house and half garden is a concept that resonates with Radziner, who envisions seamless spaces. As design partner of the design-build practice Marmol Radziner, he develops solutions that provide a unique architectural identity by forging strong connections between interior and exterior. The firm’s holistic approach includes not only an emphasis on the indoors, but also construction, landscapes, furniture, and other facets.

Radziner fosters relationships with groups and individuals dedicated to improving the community – people are just as important as projects. The architect speaks at universities and conferences, sharing his perspective with students and professionals alike. He also serves on the boards of organizations like the Mojave Desert Land Trust and Facing History and Ourselves.

Even with an ever-full schedule, Radziner still makes time to decompress. After his work is done he likes to stop at the gym for an intense workout. The exercise helps him reduce stress and feel emotionally fresh for the rest of the day.

While the architect looks forward to going to the studio and interacting with clients, if he decided to make a career change it would most likely be for a role in the film world. “I would be happy to attempt to become a cinematographer,” Radziner notes. “So often as I am designing a building, I am experiencing the spaces in my mind, reminiscent to feeling as if I am walking through a film.”

Today, Radziner joins us for Friday Five!

1. Brion Tomb

The private sanctuary near Treviso, Italy, was designed for the Brion family by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. I had the opportunity to visit a few years after it was completed. Scarpa’s reverential use of concrete, metal, wood, stone, and water in the architecture, accompanied by a moving landscape, create an incredibly memorable experience.

2. Earth Food

I love the astringent taste of walnuts, the bitterness of greens like radicchio, arugula, collard, and dandelion, and the spicy, warm taste of ginger. When I traveled to Patagonia a couple of years ago, I was able to begin my mornings with a highly caffeinated traditional Mate, which tasted of grass and soil – in the most delicious possible way.

3. The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Anton Newcombe is the spirited genius of this still-enduring psychedelic rock band that I have adored since the ‘90s. I have seen them perform live a number of times, first in 1996 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. Often, there are three or four guitarists playing at the same time, creating a lush and expansive sound that feels three-dimensional. To get an ideal taste of their music, listen to my favorite song, “Anemone.”

4. Traveling With Family

My wife Robin and I have gone on many wonderful adventures with our children since they were young. Traveling this world together focuses us and brings us together in the shared exploration of the unexpected. In addition, doing so gives us the opportunity to meet people with completely different life experiences to our own, and to learn the truths of our world otherwise left unseen.

5. The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni

Antonioni’s films are all about visual storytelling, employing dialogue sparingly and instead using silence to convey meaning. The cinematography is innovative, and his imagery is always captivating. My personal favorite of his films is “Blow Up,” which emphasizes the fashion, music, and spirit of 1960s’ London. The lack of dialogue invites the viewer to interpret the film with explicit subjectivity – similar to how we all experience architecture and space in our own ways.

Work by Ron Radziner:

Mandeville Canyon Architecture, Construction, Landscape + Interiors Los Angeles, California A predominantly steel structure built from the ground up, the long rectangular forms of this 7,000-square-foot two-story house expertly thread through the existing sycamores. The building reflects the careful and precise execution of the brick and metal that drove the design. The house follows the gradual slope of the land, so that at its southern end the home floats three feet over the canyon floor.

Ross Architecture + Landscape Ross, California This 6,500-square-foot one-story vacation home overlooks a golf course with the San Jacinto mountain range beyond. The house has a light-colored material palette—limestone floors, bleached teak ceilings – and ample access to outdoor living areas.

Lilac Drive Architecture, Construction, Landscape + Interiors Montecito, California This vacation home has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, with the second story devoted to the master suite. The surrounding oak trees and an existing pathway of a protected creek running through the property helped us determine the design, distinguished by intersecting roof planes, deep overhangs, and large picture windows. Built on a series of terraces, the two-story wood-framed house is clad in a variety of natural materials including Santa Barbara sandstone extracted from the site, reclaimed wood, and smooth-troweled, dark finished cement plaster.

Ward Architecture, Construction + Landscape Los Angeles, California Located in Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles, the 4,000-square-foot Ward Residence captures views of the canyon and the surrounding hills. We integrated the structure within the hillside to take advantage of the steeply sloped lot, engaging both the dramatic vertical height as well as the surrounding landscape. The home is arranged into three separate volumes for public, private, and work areas. We designed the landscape to maximize the available, level outdoor space while providing a textural backdrop to the lap pool and courtyard.

Moab Architecture + Construction Moab, Utah We designed this two-bedroom, two-bath home – on a hundred acres of rugged Utah desert – with an open plan running along a rock ledge, floor-to-ceiling windows, and expansive decks take advantage breathtaking views. We constructed this home at our former prefab factory. The basic steel module assembly is made up of a floor frame, a roof frame, and columns. We shipped the home to the site complete with pre-installed windows, doors, cabinets, solar panels, appliances, and other interior and exterior finishes, ready for installation. The 2,500-square-foot interior and 1,725-square-foot outdoor deck is made up of five modules and seven modules, respectively, with three for the garage.